LIVE jazz is being revived in Jozi, thanks to some new joints lighting up the social scene. One of these is The Orbit.
The venue in the heart of Braamfontein offers mind-blowing music and a great dining experience.
My wife and I popped in last Friday and we were bowled over. The ground floor dining space and bar is impressive with a modern décor and no-fuss styling, the work of architect Clare Justine Eisenstein to create a sophisticated venue with a homely feeling - complete with wooden floors.
After whiling away time with drinks on the ground floor, we climbed the many stairs to the top floor where the jazz happens.
A waiter showed us to our table - the last one available at 7.30pm, which shows the popularity of this club. Non-diners choose to sit in the lounges, around the bar or on stool around small bar-type tables.
The menu is a meeting of African, Asian and European cuisines, which says a lot about the multi-cultural clientele the place attracts.
My starter of chorizo, bacon and chicken livers in chilli tomato sauce went down very well. My wife had tandoori chicken wings, a north Indian delicacy.
For the main course I chose a north African delight, a Moroccan lamb stew ofbrinjal and chickpeas with rice (instead of couscous, the usual companion starch for this dish).
My wife went for the heart-warming oxtail cooked in red wine, a sizeable serving that she couldn't finish though she shared some of the meat that fell easily from the bone. A bottle of dry red wine did the trick during and after the meal.
The music was provided by Luyanda Madope and his band, with the horn section featuring three youngsters who call themselves H3.
Madope is also young but is in great demand as a session pianist and producer. His latest work can be heard on the new McCoy Mrubata album.
The band played a set that included jazz interpretations of local pop hits such as Ndawo Yami by Zamajobe and Ingoma by Thandiswa Mazwai.
A Feya Faku composition, Gweru, a tribute to the Zimbabwean city of that name, was so good that Madope insisted on an encore when Faku walked into the venue later. The surprise was the cameo appearance of Judith Sephuma, who we learnt was once Madope's teacher at the now-defunct Fuba music academy in nearby Newtown, across the Nelson Mandela Bridge.
Sephuma brought the house down with her vocal ability on Iya Iyo (Thuto ke Lesedi), the only song she performed.
The Orbit, at 81 De Korte Street, Braamfontein, is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 11am to 2am.
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
Jozi venue hits the right note
LIVE jazz is being revived in Jozi, thanks to some new joints lighting up the social scene. One of these is The Orbit.
The venue in the heart of Braamfontein offers mind-blowing music and a great dining experience.
My wife and I popped in last Friday and we were bowled over. The ground floor dining space and bar is impressive with a modern décor and no-fuss styling, the work of architect Clare Justine Eisenstein to create a sophisticated venue with a homely feeling - complete with wooden floors.
After whiling away time with drinks on the ground floor, we climbed the many stairs to the top floor where the jazz happens.
A waiter showed us to our table - the last one available at 7.30pm, which shows the popularity of this club. Non-diners choose to sit in the lounges, around the bar or on stool around small bar-type tables.
The menu is a meeting of African, Asian and European cuisines, which says a lot about the multi-cultural clientele the place attracts.
My starter of chorizo, bacon and chicken livers in chilli tomato sauce went down very well. My wife had tandoori chicken wings, a north Indian delicacy.
For the main course I chose a north African delight, a Moroccan lamb stew ofbrinjal and chickpeas with rice (instead of couscous, the usual companion starch for this dish).
My wife went for the heart-warming oxtail cooked in red wine, a sizeable serving that she couldn't finish though she shared some of the meat that fell easily from the bone. A bottle of dry red wine did the trick during and after the meal.
The music was provided by Luyanda Madope and his band, with the horn section featuring three youngsters who call themselves H3.
Madope is also young but is in great demand as a session pianist and producer. His latest work can be heard on the new McCoy Mrubata album.
The band played a set that included jazz interpretations of local pop hits such as Ndawo Yami by Zamajobe and Ingoma by Thandiswa Mazwai.
A Feya Faku composition, Gweru, a tribute to the Zimbabwean city of that name, was so good that Madope insisted on an encore when Faku walked into the venue later. The surprise was the cameo appearance of Judith Sephuma, who we learnt was once Madope's teacher at the now-defunct Fuba music academy in nearby Newtown, across the Nelson Mandela Bridge.
Sephuma brought the house down with her vocal ability on Iya Iyo (Thuto ke Lesedi), the only song she performed.
The Orbit, at 81 De Korte Street, Braamfontein, is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 11am to 2am.
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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